California senator demands resignation of energy board over controversial tire rule

Backlash is growing over California’s controversial new tire rules aimed at lowering emissions — and now a state senator is joining the calls for the bureaucrats behind the rules to lose their jobs.

The tire regulations, approved Monday by the California Energy Commission, will phase out replacement tires that fail to meet the state’s new energy-efficiency standards — eventually wiping out 70% of the market and jacking up costs for drivers, critics say.

“If these commissioners had to face the voters this November; they would all be removed,” said state Sen. Tony Strickland (R), vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, in an interview.

Strickland said the rules illustrate a fundamental problem in California: too much authority in the hands of unelected bureaucrats — who earn between $166,306 and $215,631 while meeting only once a month, in the case of energy commissioners.

Strickland sent a letter Thursday to the energy commission calling on all five board members to resign.

“You have recourse in terms of an election. You don’t have that with these unaccountable boards and agencies,” he told The Post.

Beginning in 2029, the ban targets high-resistance tires that take more energy to keep moving down the road.

The commission believes the tire regulations will save fuel costs for consumers. But critics of the ban say it’ll wipe out lower-cost tire options, raising prices as the industry scrambles to replace the majority of replacement tires currently on the market.

Average tire prices could increase from $81 to as much as $157, according to the Tire Industry Association. For a full set of four tires, the difference could exceed $300 per vehicle.

“At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet, the CEC approved a new mandate that will force struggling families to purchase more expensive replacement tires,” Strickland wrote in his letter.

The energy commissioners are appointed by the governor and approved by the state Senate. They serve staggered five-year terms.

Strickland placed much of the blame around the tire rules on Gov. Gavin Newsom for appointing the members. Scrutiny has focused on one appointee, Nancy Skinner, who previously was a Democratic state senator representing Berkeley.

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“Someone like Gavin Newsom, I guarantee, hasn’t changed his tires in a long time, or he’s never changed his tires,” Strickland claimed. “These are political insiders who are close to Governor Newsom, and he appoints these along with the (Democratic) supermajority in Sacramento.”

Earlier in the week, Republican governor candidate Steve Hilton made a pledge to eliminate the Energy Commission if elected, specifically by gutting the Energy Commission of its funding.

Newsom has made it clear he’s happy with the commission and its tire regulations, saying this week the “ROI is pretty good.”

Democrats argued the required lower-resistance tires will translate to cars using less gas or electricity from better mileage, therefore saving consumers money.

“Back to just facts, save a billion dollars a year in fuel,” Newsom said Wednesday. “You talk about an affordability agenda, that makes some sense to me.”

The energy agency told the Post the commission plays an important role in energy policy and planning, from siting power plants to creating efficiency standards.

“This is about improving replacement tires, not eliminating them, to match the efficiency of tires that already exist when you get a new car,” a spokesperson said. “California is phasing in a standard that protects drivers from lower-quality, money-draining tires.”